Cash drawer alarm device



April 11, 1933. Gl TI SCOTT 1,903,535

CASH DRAWER ALARM DEVICE Filed April l5, 1929 3 4 L INVENTOR.

Patented Apr. 11, 1933 UNITED STATES GEORGE T. SCOTT, F LOS ANGELES,CALIFORNIA CASH DRAWER ALARM DEVICE Application led April 15,

rlhis invention relates to and has for a principal object the provisionof an improved type of alarm device incorporated in a cash drawer ormoney 'till and adapted to be connected electrically with an alarmpositioned remotely from the drawer whereby the alarm will be soundedwhen money is removed from the drawer by unauthorized persons.

Another object is to provide, moreover, a cash drawer embodying aplurality of multiple contacts arranged in the several compartments ofthe money till so that the unauthorized removaly of money in the form ofcurrency from either of the compartments will sound an alarm.

Other and more detailed objects of invention will appear in thedescription hereinafter given.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown a preferred embodiment of myinvention, in which Fig. l is a perspective view of a tellers stand suchas is used in a bank and having incorporated therein a cash drawerembody- 'd ing my improvements.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the drawer on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the drawer on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the drawer casing on line 4 4 of Fig.2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged transverse section of the drawer andcasing showing only the portions included in the electric circuit of thealarm.

As shown in Fig. 1, the drawer or money till A is adapted to be slidablymounted in a desk, stand, cage, or counter B, preferably within a casingC. The casing is open at the front B1 of the counter and has a top C1, abottom C2, sides C3 and C4, and a rear end closure C5. The casing is ofshallow rectangular form and is adapted to slidably receive andsupportthe drawer A so that the same may be extended from the front B1of the counter for the purpose of inserting and withdrawing currencytherefrom.

The drawer A is open at the top and is provided with a bottom A1, sidesA2 and A3,

v a rear end closure A4, and a cleat A5 at the 1929. Serial No. 355,256.

front, all of which members are suitably attached together and-areformed or non-conducting material such as wood. The drawer.

A may have one or more rear compartments A6 and a plurality of frontcompartments 55 A7, A7 etc., formed therein with a transverse partitionA8 separating the front and rear compartments.

The sides C3 and C4 of the casing C are provided with longitudinalguides D and Dl which may be formed of a single piece of channeled metalor a pair of metal strips of right angular cross section, as at D1 andD2, held in the sides of the casing and attached thereto and adapted toprovide channels D3, D3 for slidably receiving ribs E1, El of rails Eand E attached to the sides A2 and A3 of the money till A.

The compartments A7 in which the money, as at M, is adapted to be held,are provided with an integral metallic lining A9 which forms a falsebottom 1 for the money till. Asshown in Fig. 2, the false bottom A9 isinclined downwardly from the upper edge of the front member A5 of thedrawer to the 75 rear of the compartments A7, and said compartments arecommonly closed at their front ends by means of a transverse member A10which is hinged at A11 to the member A5 and may be held in closedposition as seen in Fig. 2 by means of a suitable latch or latches A12.

When the money box is extended for use the member A10 is unlatched atA12 and is adapted to swing downwardly so asto render the money M withinthe compartments A7 readily removable. Each of the compartments A7, A7is provided with a contact member F which is pivotally mounted ron aU-shaped member F1, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, so that the contacts willrest upon the money M within the compartments.

The contact supporting members F1, F1 etc., are hingedly mounted at theinner ends F2, F2 of their legs on a transverse rod F3 which extendsthrough the longitudinal partitions A13, A13 separating the compartmentsA7, A7, and also through the sides A2 and A3 of the money till. One endF4 of rod F3 is permanently attached by soldering or otherwise to aportionv of the rail E, while the other end is disassociated from therail E at the other side of the till. The guide D, ywhich isfrictionally associated with thev rail E, is electrically connected witha battery G or other source of electrical current by means of a wire G1which may have a control switch H connected therewith. The guide D',which is frictionally .associated with the rail E, is connected by meansof a wire G2 with an alarm device or bell I, and the bell is connectedwith battery G by means of a wire G3, as shown in Fig. 5.

Vhen the switch H is closed and all of the compartments A7 of the tillare supplied with currency, the currencyV willA insulate the weightedcontacts F from the false bottom A9 of the till and thus maintain anopen alarm circuit. When all of the money is removed from any one of thecompartments A7 the engagement of the contact F in that compartment withthe metallic lining of the false bottom, will close the circuit ofthealarm I and cause an alarm to besounded so long as the switch H isclosed. In this connection it will be understood that the circuit isclosed through the wire Gl from battery G, guide D, rail E, rod F3,member F1, contact F, false bottom A9, rail E', guide D', wire G2, alarmI, and wire G3 to the battery, the false bottomV A9 being permanentlyconnected with therail E by means of a contact bar El.

As shown in Fig. 2, the drawer A may be `extended so as to expose onlythe comparta ments A7,-or it'may be further extended so as to expose thecompartment A6.` To prevent the complete removal of the drawer from thecasing C a stop bar J is provided on the top G1 of the casing, which isdisposed in ther path of and is adapted toengage the rear end All ofthedrawer when the drawer is extended to a maximum extent. The transversepartition A8 of the drawer is provided with a recess A141L at the topthereof to clear the bar J. It willbe understood that the constructionof my device is such that the guides D and D will be permanentlyconnected in circuit with the battery G and alarm I.

Contact between the guides D and D- and rails E and E is byV frictionalengagement of the portions E2 of said rails with the guides D and D whenthe portions El are slidably disposed in the channels D3. Contactsupports F1 at their ends F2 make su'liicient contact with the cross barF3 for closing'the circuit of the alarm when one or more of the contactsF engage the false bottom A9.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description of my improvementsthat when the switch H is closed it will be quite impossibleV for anyoneto remove all of the money from .either of the compartments A7 of themoney till without sounding the alarm I.V In such case it requires nooperation of a teller or cashier to sound the alarm and the switch H ispreferably located at a Ypoint remote from the cash drawer andcompletely obscured so that only authorized persons may know of itsexistence and location. Likewise the wires Gl and G2 maybe completelyVobscured andy inaccessible to anyoneV seeking to remove the contents ofthe cash drawer without authority. In this manner, and by the meansshown and described, the funds contained'in the cashdrawer may besafeguarded against burglary during business hours. At the close ofbusiness the switch H maybe opened sov that the alarm will beinoperative, or said switch may remain closed at all times, dependingupon the presence l of money inthe till.

What I claim is:

In a cash drawer, a bottom lforming an electrical contact, conductorguides, conductor rails on thev drawerfslidable in said guides, wherebythe drawer is slidably mounted, a conductor rod extending acrossl thedrawer and secured at one end to one of said rails` but not to the otherrail, a conductor connecting said other rail and Isaid bottom contact,and a second contact hingedly mountedon said rod for resting uponV moneyplaced within the drawerrand for resting vupon said bottom contact whenmoney is removed from the drawer.

y s GEORGE T. SCOTT.

